What Happens When We Die

It is the completion of God's plan for those who came to faith in Jesus Christ.  For God, the plan began before the creation of the world, but for the person it began when they were lead to faith by God's Grace in Jesus Christ.  From that moment on, their lives are changed.  Though still with a sinful nature, they are enabled to be free from its enslaving grasp. Free to recognize it, fight it, and empowered to resist.  Free to come to God for mercy, forgiveness, and to receive his Grace, forever.  As they went though life, God continually sanctified them and matured them in faith.  Finally at the end of their life in the world, God will do yet another thing for them: Its called Glorification.  This is our hope that has yet to be revealed.

While We Are In This World:

There is no glory in ourselves.  We still carry the nature of sin.  Yet, because of Christ, his glory shines through us.  And our new nature, being spiritually born again and alive, transforms us.  While struggling with the two natures (Romans 6) we are lead to depend on the glory of God through us until we see him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Also read our article: Sinlessness and its Dilemas and How Old Are You, Spiritually?

What We Haven't Seen But Can Hope For:

There is an eternal glory that is being prepared for us and will be later revealed to us (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17).  He can hope in the coming glory of God (Romans 5:2).  But its not just any hope, its "our blessed hope" of not just God but "our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14).  The glory we hope for is all from God, and all from how awesome God is; not from us.

Our Transformation and Glorification:

After the blessed hope of our great God and savior Jesus Christ comes, our being, who and what we are, will then be forever changed (1 Corinthians 15:51).  We will become imperishable and immortal (1 Corinthians 15:53).  We will be transformed from His glory shining through us to our own glory given to us (2 Corinthians 3:18, Jude 24-25).  Our bodies will be transformed (Philippians 3:20–21) but this transformation will be after Christ returns (1 John 3:3).  This is known as our 'Glorification'.

In this world, we are held in faith by The Holy Spirit as we struggle with a sin nature that is no longer ours.  We are given a new nature through faith in Jesus Christ and continually matured in faith as we live in the spirit by The Holy Spirit.  When our bodies die; we are given a glory that has not been revealed until then.  We are freed from our sinful nature in the world as we move to the next life.  When Christ returns we will be bodily resurrected and given a new glorified body to cloth our glorified spirit. This is what we can hope for.  Not for how hard work or anything besides what God has promised; for there is nothing greater than being given his glory and making it ours; being given a new body that is imperishable, immortal and holy for eternity.